Fastener for warning flag



July 11, 1967 R. R'GUNDERSON FASTENER FOR WARNING FLAG Filed Oct. 5,3.964

17? de i? 2 0):: $040k 6107049119022 3 m, a4), W 4- 5 W fizaoz'i zegaUnited States Patent 3,330,247 FASTENER FOR WARNING FLAG Ralph R.Gunderson, Vari-Products Co., 330 N. Harding, Chicago, Ill. 60624 FiledOct. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 401,348 Claims. (Cl. 116-63) This inventionrelates to retaining devices or fasteners, and more particularly to aspring clip for detachably retaining a warning flag or the like on astaff or similar rod like mounting.

Highway warning signals of the reflector or other types are commonlyprovided with a separate warning element consisting of a flexible shaftand a red warning flag. Typically, the warning signal has a bracketwhich is apertured to receive an end of the shaft and the warning flagis provided with a sleeve-like marginal edge portion which is telescopedover the shaft.

Such warning flags, being stationed out in the open on a highway, arefrequently subjected to gusts of wind from natural weather conditions orfrom the rush of passing vehicles. Heretofore, when subjected to suchwind gusts, the warning flags frequently have slipped off the relativelysmooth surface of the staff and have been blown away, thus failing toperform their warning function. This is especially true where the staffis inclined with respect to the vertical as is the case with manywarning signals.

It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide a new andimproved fastening device for securing a warning flag on a staff.

A primary object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive fastenerfor securing a flag to a staff wherein the fastener is provided withmeans for preventing the accidental withdrawal of the flag from thestafl".

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improveddetachable fastener for holding a detachable flag on its staff whereinthe fastener is provided with means for preventing the fastener frommoving longitudinally relative to the staff, and wherein the fastener isfurther provided with means for impaling a portion of the flag tosimilarly prevent movement of the flag axially of the flag staff.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improvedfastener for holding a detachable flag on its staff wherein the fasteneris provided with a hook memher for impaling the flag when the staff andflag are rotated relative to each other in one direction and wherein thehook is withdrawn from the flag upon relative rotation of the hook andthe flag in the opposite direction.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will beapparent from the following description of the preferred embodimentillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a typical highway warning signalshowing a warning flag in operative position and detachably secured to astaff held by the warning signal;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary broken view of a portion of atypical staff for highway warning flags showing the detachable fastenerof this invention positioned on the lower end of the staff in a positionto impale the sleeve of a warning flag so as to secure the flag upon thestaff;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary broken view of the lower portion of the staffshown in FIGURE 2 with the staff and fastener shown rotatedapproximately ninety degrees with respect to the position shown inFIGURE2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary section view taken through the longitudinalaxis of the staff and flag showing the relative positions of the flagand fastener when the fastener and flag are out of engagement withrespect to each 3,330,247 Patented July 11, 1967 ice other such as whenthe flag is being slipped on or withdrawn from the staff; and

FIGURE 5 is a section view taken as indicated on line 5-5 of FIGURE 1showing the sleeve of the flag telescoped over the staff with thefastener impaled through the flag to hold the flag against longitudinalmovement relative to the staff.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGURE 1 there is shown a well-knownhighway warning signal 10 comprising a reflector portion 12 which ispivoted to a base member 14 for raising and lowering the reflectorportion 12 between an operative reflecting position (shown in FIGURE 1)and an inoperative storage position (not shown). A warning flag 16 isadapted to be mounted on a staff 18, which staff is in turn of a size tobe received in an apertured bracket 20, as shown in FIGURE 1, to holdthe staff and flag in upright operative position on the warning device10.

The staff 18 is shown herein as a two-piece member comprising two rods22 and 22a joined by a medial member such as an elongated coil spring24. It is to be understood that the staff 18 may take some other form,such as a one-piece rod or the like. The flag 16 is provided with meansenabling it to be assembled with or mounted on the staff 18 so that atleast a portion of one marginal edge of the flag lies adjacent to thestaff. Preferably, the flag 16 is provided with a sleeve-like marginaledge portion 26 which generally is formed by folding over one edge ofthe flag and securing the folded edge by a line of stitching such as 26ato form the sleeve-like portion. It is of course, contemplated thatother means may be provided whereby the staff and flag can quickly andconveniently be placed in assembled relation.

Heretofore, such a flag would be telescoped over the staff in order toprovide a day-time warning fiag for disabled vehicles or the like.However, the wind gusts sustained by passing vehicles as Well asinclement weather conditions, in combination with the inclination of thestaff, sometimes has resulted in the disengagement of the flag and thestaff, if not the permanent loss of the flag, as it became airborne onthe wind currents. Thus, the flag warning function of the device wouldbe dissipated. Loss of the warning flag can be extremely hazardous forthe motorist who had placed the warning device at an appropriatedistance fore and aft of his vehicle at the side of a highway. Thehazard became even more acute in those situations where the disabled carwas positioned on a curve or on the crest of a hill, and the flag wasplaced around the curve or on the upgrade or downgrade side of the hill.In some such instances, the disabled motorist could not know that theflag had blown away, nor could the persons in oncoming vehicles have anywarning from the red flag of the disablement ahead. In keeping with thedesire to maintain such warning devices at a minimum of cost with amaximum of effectiveness for safety, the inventor has found it desirableto provide a suitable retaining means for holding a detachable flag uponits staff. To this end, the fastener 28 of this invention is provided.

In performing its flag retaining function, the fastener 28 is preferablydetachable from the staff 18 and adjust-' able both longitudinally andradially of the staff 18, the fastener being preferably constructed tofrictionally engage the staff to hold the fastener 28 in any desiredadjusted position. To this end, the fastener 28 comprises two hollowwire coils or coil portions 34 and 34a each formed of a plurality ofconvolutions of spring wire which are joined by a spring wireintermediate or connecting portion 35. The diameter of each of the coilportions is such as to provide a central opening which is slightlylarger than the diameter of the staff 18 so that the coil portions canbe freely received upon the staff 18 when the axes of the staff and coilportions are in substantial alignment.

As indicated in FIGURES 2 and 3, the coil portions 34 and 3411 aresprung apart at the resilient connecting portion 35 so t hat therespective axes of the coil portions are inclined at a slight acuteangle with respect to each other and with respect to the axis of thestaff. Actually, the coil portions 34 and 34a when removed from thestaff are sprung apart at a greater angle than that indicated in FIGURES2 and 3 so that the upper and lower ends of each coil portion, whenplaced upon the staff 18, normally resiliently bear against the lateralsurface of the staff 18 so as to frictionally grip the staff 18 and holdthe fastener 28 in any desired position of adjustment upon the staff;Thus, the frictional gripping engagement of the fastener 28 with thestafi 18 is such as to permit the fastener to be moved longitudinally ofthe staff and also to permit the fastener to be turned radially of thestaff 18.

As herein shown, a flag engaging means is provided by an upper endportion 36 on the upper coil portion 34, which upper end 36 is arcuatelyor hook shaped. The upper end portion 36 terminates in a free endportion 38 which is turned down sufficiently to provide a secureengagement with the sleeve portion of the warning flag 16. The upper endportion 36 is offset laterally from the axis of the upper coil portion34, as shown in FIGURES 3-5, so that rotative clockwise movement of thewire coils about their axes can cause the free end portion 38 topenetrate and engage the cloth material of the flag. Similarly,counterclockwise movement'of the wire coils will disengage the free endportion 38 from the cloth material in the sleeve 26 of the flag 16. Thehook shape of the upper end 36 enables the sleeve portion 26 of the flagto be easily pulled downwardly over the fastener 28, and the hook upperend 36 is also of such shape that the sleeve 26 of the flag 16 can beeasily pulled from a staff 18 after being disengaged from the upper endportion 36.

A stop means is preferably provided on a staff 18, and as herein shownin FIGURES 2 and 3, the stop means is afforded by the bottom end of theelongated coil spring 24 which makes up the medial portion of the staff18. It is to be understood that in certain instances, the staff 18 maybe provided with other stop means in the form of a shoulder, an annulargroove or the like. While the frictional gripping engagement of the coilportions 34' and 34a is under most circumstances adequate to hold thefastener 28 against movement, the stop means prevents the clip and theflag from'moving upwardly on the staff even under strong windyconditions.

In operation, the fastener 28 is first slipped over the bottom end ofthe staff 18 and slid to a position just below the elongated coil spring24. The sleeve portion 26 of the flag 16 is then slipped over the staff18 as illustrated in FIGURE 4 so that the staff is disposedsubstantially throughout the sleeve length of the flag. The fastener 28is then caused to be rotated clockwise so that the free end 38 passesthrough the fabric of the sleeve as shown in FIGURE so as to hook thefabric and retain theflag upon the staff. The free end 38 is disengagedfromthe sleeve of the flag by causing the fastener 28 to be,

rotated counterclockwise relative to the sleeve portion of the flag andthen by longitudinally withdrawing the flag V sleeve from the staff.

There is a great need today for structures which promote and enhancehighway safety. The flag fastener of this invention provides arelatively simple and inexpensive means of fulfilling this want. Thefastener is simple to manufacture, and it is easy to assemble and to useby a motorist disabled on the highway. The fastener positively securesthe warning flag to the staff, and it is easy to disassemble andwithdraw the warning flag when the need for the warningsignal isdissipated. Additionally, the de- 4 tachable and adjustable fastenereasily lends itself to use with most of the present designs of staffsand flags which are used for this purpose, and therefore, no adapters oradditional structures are needed to make use of the fastener of thisinvention.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness ofunderstanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom for some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in theart.

I claim:

1. A detachable fastener for retaining a warning flag;

upon a flag staff, comprising: a pair of hollow wirecoils each having acentral opening of a size to receive the flag staff; a resilientconnecting portion joining the pair of wire coils and holding themgenerally in end-to-end relation with the axes of the coils being at anangle to each other so that, when the coils are slid into embracingrelation with.

the flag staff, the resilient connecting portion yieldingly urgesopposite ends of each of the coils'into frictional holding engagementwith the flag staff; and means for engaging the warning flag to hold theflag against axial movement on the flag staff. a

2. A detachable fastener for retaining a warning flag upon a'flag staffas specified in claim 1, in which the engaging means is a wire hook onone of the coils, the wire hook having a free end portion forpenetrating the warning flag to hold the flag against axial movement onthe flag staff.

3.. A detachable fastener for retaining a warning flagupon a flag staffas specified in claim 2, in which the Wire hook is laterally offset fromthe axis of said one coil whereby rotation of the coils about the staffin one direction will cause the free end portion of the hook topenetrate the warning flag and rotation of the coils in the oppositedirection will cause the free end portion towithdraw from the warningflag.

4. A warning signal, comprising: a flag staff; a warn ing flag having amarginal edge shaped to be slida-bly' received upon the upper endportion of said flag staff;

and a detachable fastener mounted on the staff for engaging the marginaledge of the warning flag to hold the flag againstaxial movement on theflag staff, the fastener.

the flag staff, the fastener being provided with a wire hook having afree end portion for penetrating the Warning flag to hold the flagagainst axial movement on the flag staff.

5. A warning signal as specified in claim 4, in which a a stop isprovided on the flag staff to limitupward slidable movement of thefastener upon the flag staff.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 338,356 3/1886 Osborn -248l591,319,334 10/1919 Hartung 116 173 2,332,286 10/1943 Winsick '116 1732,764,830 10/1956 Frey 40-125 2,961,787 11/1960 K168 4o 3,034,242 5/1962Gold 40-125 3,052,004 9/1962 Wallsheih 24-129 3,063,406 11/1962 Slick116173 3,106,187 10/1963 Slick -3 116 '173 FOREIGN PATENTS 243,2514/1960 Australia.

LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner.

1. A DETACHABLE FASTENER FOR RETAINING A WARNING FLAG UPON A FLAG STAFF,COMPRISING: A PAIR OF HOLLOW WIRE COILS EACH HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING OFA SIZE TO RECEIVE THE FLAG STAFF; A RESILIENT CONNECTING PORTION JOININGTHE PAIR OF WIRE COILS AND HOLDING THEM GENERALLY IN END-TO-END RELATIONWITH THE AXES OF THE COILS BEING AT AN ANGLE TO EACH OTHER SO THAT, WHENTHE COILS ARE SLID INTO EMBRACING RELATION WITH THE FLAG STAFF, THERESILIENT CONNECTING PORTION YIELDINGLY URGES OPPOSITE ENDS OF EACH OFTHE COILS INTO FRICTIONAL HOLDING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FLAG STAFF; ANDMEANS FOR ENGAGING THE WARNING FLAG TO HOLD THE FLAG AGAINST AXIALMOVEMENT ON THE FLAG STAFF.